Today is the Day
by Explosive
Summary: Yamashiro, my first try at fanfiction. I was proud of it then but I can't bring myself to even look at it now. Strangely enough, I can't bring myself to delete it either.
1. Part 1

Ok, this is my first fanfic and it's four chapters long. It's Digimon and it's about Matt. Now if you've read the title (it's kind of blunt, sorry)you can probably guess what this is going to be about, so if you have already decided you won't like it then you'd be better off reading something else. I don't know if I have to state ahead of time that there is some Yaoi content in this (because I'm not exactly sure what that means), but I really don't think there is anything that would offend anyone here.   
  
Oh, obviously I don't own Digimon and am not/probably cannot make any money off this at all. Not that I think I could, but this is just for my own enjoyment and anyone else who might like it.   
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Matt laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He didn't feel like doing anything today, not playing his harmonica, not calling any of his friends, not even going to the zoo with his family. His mom and dad left with T.K. over an hour ago, and they wouldn't return until the evening. It was enough to know that they were having fun, Matt thought, I don't need to go along.  
  
It had been almost two months since Matt and his friends had returned to their world. Looking back on it, the whole experience seemed surreal, almost like it had been a dream. Still, Matt knew it was real, and the events of the time he had spent in the Digiworld had been running through his head since he had returned. He remembered how close he had come to death so many times, although he was not haunted by the memories. He was troubled by T.K.'s brushes with death, but since he had returned he had come to a better understanding that he was not soley responsible for his brother. Perhaps it was the prospects that their parents might be reuniting that was lifting him of that burden.   
  
He remembered Gabumon and the other Digimon. He missed them a lot, but especially Gabumon. In him Matt had a friend he could talk to about anything at all. No matter what, Gabumon would listen and always have something encouraging to say. They talked about a lot, and Matt missed his companionship. There was more he wanted to say, more he wanted to get off his chest, but before he was ready it was time to leave, time to go home. Things hadn't been quite the same with his friends since. He wanted to carry the closeness he felt with everyone in the Digiworld back home with him, but it was as if everyone had decided they needed a break from each other after being together for so long. He had hung out with everyone now and then until school started, but he hadn't spoken to any of them in a while. He talked with Izzy and Joe a few days ago after school, and said hi to Tai at one of his soccer games, but it seemed to him like they were all drifting apart. Maybe he was overreacting, being dramatic, but he was worried.  
  
He knew he could talk to any of his friends too, but he felt uneasy about being totally open with them. He worried that Tai might think he was a wuss if he ried to open up to him. Joe had risked his life to save T.K. more than once, and for that Matt was greatful, but they never really talked about many serious things. Besides, Joe was difficult to communicate with sometimes. Mimi was even worse, and Matt wondered if he had ever discussed anything of consequence with her at all. Kari was just too young to really relate to, and besides, it would be wierd if Tai found out he was hanging with his sister. Matt trusted Izzy and didn't think him to be judgmental, but he didn't think he was a very good listener. Sometimes you could talk to him and he wouldn't remember a word you said. He's a cool kid though, Matt thought. He remembered when they found their crests together, and how he always wondered if that meant anything. Whatever, he thought to himself.  
  
He thought about Sora. Sora was a great person to talk to, but Matt felt uneasy about confiding in her. Why? He didn't know, maybe it was because for the longest time he had tried to force himself to have certain feelings for her. She was so perfect, why shouldn't he like her? Dispite all the time they spent together though, he couldn't force himself to feel attarcted to her. Sure she was a great friend, but Matt thought that maybe they could be more. Besides, Tai liked her too, and he was always showing off for her. There was no way she would ever notice him. He hadn't seen her in a few weeks, not since school started. He thought about calling her, but remembered that she had a soccer game. Maybe he would go watch it later this afternoon.  
  
T.K. was still his best friend, but there were things he couln't talk about with him. Things he wouldn't understand and things he wasn't ready for. Things he couln't ever know, not with the way he worshipped Matt.   
  
The CD Matt was listening to came to an end, and a deadly silence filled the room. It was so strange to be able to relax on a comfortable bed, not having to worry about being attacked by huge monsters. There were other things to worry about now. Being in the Digiworld had changed him, but not completely. He still fought depression a lot, especially when he was alone. He knew that he would end up feeling this way if he stayed home, but he didn't care really. He felt like he deserved it. For what he wasn't sure, but he didn't want to get in the way of his parents being together. He didn't discuss his problems with his parents much. He didn't want to upset them, and right now, it was more important than ever not to upset them.  
  
He had finished his homework on friday night. There wasn't much to do now. He rolled off the bed and made his way to the door. He went to the kitchen and grabbed the phone. He knew he had to call someone or else he'd be alone in his dark room the rest of the day. He called Joe's house, but no one was home. Tai had a soccer game that afternoon as well, so he couldn't do anything either. Matt dialed Izzy's number, knowing that unless he got an answer he might as well sleep the rest of the day. The busy signal rang in the earpiece. Matt sighed. Now what, he thought. Well, hold on, if Izzy's phone is busy that must mean he's home and online. He didn't live more than a few minutes away, why not drop by and surprise him? Matt put on his shoes and grabbed his wallet and key. He locked the door behind him and walked to the elevator. As he began his decent, he wondered, "Is today the day?"  



	2. Part 2

Well I hope you like this so far. I guess there must be some rule saying the author has to put a disclaimer before every piece involving Digimon characters, cuz everyone does it. Anyway, nothing has changed, I don't own Digimon and am just doing this for fun.   
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Izzy lived in a high rise apartment similar to Matt's. Izzy's was a little smaller than Matt's, but it had a balcony, which being 12 stories up, provided a really nice view. The elevator doors opened to Izzy's floor, the halls covered in red carpet. Matt looked for Izzy's door, and saw it at the end of the hall :1207. He stood at the door, nervous to knock, but knowing that in a minute he would gather the courage. He rapped his knuckes on the door three times. He had been here a few times before, but it still seemed weird, going to Izzy's place. The door opened. It was Izzy. "Oh, hi Matt. What're you up to?"  
  
"Oh nothing really," Matt said casually. "I called a few minutes ago but your phone was busy. Are you on your computer?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm just downloading some songs, come on in."  
  
Matt walked though the door and followed Izzy into the kitchen, where he was offered the usual endless supply of food the Izumis kept on hand. His parents weren't home, and they stuck some leftover food in the microwave. They took it to Izzy's bedroom, which looked like a laboratory out of a science fiction movie. There were four monitors (all on) attached to four computers Matt guessed. It was hard to tell because there were almost a dozen CPU's in the room, some running, some scrapped and saved only for parts. There was probably even more in Izzy's closet. Matt saw Izzy's laptop, the one he had carried with him in the Digiworld, on the bed. Matt sat down on Izzy's bed next to it while Izzy resumed his downloading.   
  
"You care if I look at your Digimon pics on here?" Matt asked. He needed to remind himself of Gabumon, of the others, of just being there and what they all shared.  
  
"Go ahead, I'm just gonna finish these downloads." Izzy replied. Izzy was probably the reason why Napster's in so much trouble, thought Matt. With his high-speed connection he had probably over a thousand songs by now. Right now he was downloading the Shonen Knife and a whole album by the Boredoms. Matt appreciated Izzy's taste in music, but Matt still liked his American bands better than anything coming out of his home country. Matt paged through the Digimon file and finally found a picture of Gabumon. He recollected the times they spent together, in the Digiworld and his own.  
  
"You're looking up Gabumon, aren't you?" asked Izzy. Matt was surprised to see that Izzy actually had looked away from his computer to talk to him.  
  
"Yeah." They were quiet for another minute, then Matt asked, "Do you ever wish you were back in the Digiworld?"  
  
"Sometimes I do. I miss our friends and the time we got to spend together." Matt was sort of taken aback by that comment, and he showed it. Izzy was never really expressive about his feelings. Izzy saw Matt's expression, and replied to it. "Look, I know I can be a pretty private person but I'm trying to change that now. I don't think there was anything wrong with the way I was before, but I just think I'll be happier if I open myself up to others." When he finished, he sat there, looking down, maybe wondering if he sounded stupid.  
  
"Oh, well that's cool." Matt replied. "I mean, I liked you the way you were before..." Oh crap, Matt thought. He needed to choose his words more carefully. He didn't want to sound...well...he got his train of thought back, and realized he was having a real conversation with a friend for the first time in months. Better make the most of it. "But I'm glad that you're changing." He smiled at Izzy, hoping that he wasn't revealing too much.  
  
"Thanks Matt. That means a lot to me." Izzy smiled back and turned back to his computer. Matt hoped he had made some kind of connection there. He had never heard Izzy talk like that before, what was up with that?  
  
"Hey, you wanna go watch Sora's soccer game? I think she's playing at 2 at her school." Most likely Izzy would just want to sit at home and surf the net. That's all he seemed to want to do. So it was a total surprise when he said:  
  
"Do I? Let's go! I gotta get out of this room and get some fresh air anyway."  
  
"All right! You better finish oyur downloads soon cuz we only have an hour."  
  
"No problem, they're all done! You wanna go now?"  
  
"Yeah, let's go Izz!"  
  
Izzy disconnected from his computer and reached for his laptop. He thought about bringing it, but instead just shut it down and turned it off. Matt watched as Gabumon's face disapeared from the screen. They left Izzy's room, hit the lights and were out the door. 


	3. Part 3

I hope you dont think this sucks. I'm trying to make it good. It's hard to write for a character like Matt who spends most of the show fighting with Tai and whining about T.K., and even harder to write for Izzy, who speaks in computer terminology and says "prodigious!" a lot. Well, they're going through changes, and maybe that's why they don't sound like you might expect them to. Once again, I don't own Digimon but enjoy watching the show and writing Digimon fanfics.  
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Izzy and Matt left the air conditioned apartment and stepped out into the humid street. Neither of them had any money, which was ok with Matt, since he preferred walking right now rather than taking a bus. Besides, he was in no real hurry to get there. As they walked they talked about school, their friends and even their families. They didn't talk about the Digiworld though, because there wasn't really anything to say about it right now. Eventually they returned to what they were discussing in Izzy's room, and a strange transformation seemed to take place with every step they took. Matt had never heard Izzy speak so honestly, and although it was a bit awkward at first, the two friends were becoming more comfortable being open with each other. Well, at least Izzy was, and Matt was becoming used to the "new" Izzy, and he hoped that when the time came, that he could be the same way. Again, he thought to himself, "Is today the day?" Izzy kept talking, pretty much rambling, but Matt hung on every word he said.  
  
"It's like everyone thinks that just because I dont speak up in class a lot and spend too much time on my computer that I don't have anything to say."  
  
"That's not true, you've got a lot to say. You're a fun person to be around." Matt wasn't sure if "fun" was the right word, but it worked for a compliment.  
  
"I don't want to change the way that I used to act around people, but I just want to be more outgoing, you know?"   
  
"I don't really want you to change Izz, you're cool the way that you are." Matt replied.  
  
"You wouldn't be saying that if I hadn't saved your life a million times." Izzy said sarcastically with a good-natured smile.  
  
"Not as many times as I saved yours." Matt shot back, playfully punching him in the shoulder.   
  
"Doubtful." Izzy said, rubbing his arm. They had been walking about a half an hour, and they were almost to the school. Matt was looking forward to seeing Sora again. Hopefully they would have time to talk. Maybe they could do something after the game. Maybe it would be better if they didn't though. The thought of telling Izzy the truth was now up front in his mind. It was going to take a few hours to build up the courage, but Matt figured he would have it by the evening, and no one else could be with them then. He could think about that later though. Now he was just walking and talking with his friend, who he felt closer to than ever.  
  
"Well don't change for me, you don't have to you know."  
  
"Sure Matt. I know I don't have to change for you or Tai or Sora or Joe or any of us. Technically it was only a few hours, but when you spend weeks fighting for your life alongside someone, you get to know someone pretty well. I'm only trying to say that I want to be a better friend, that's all."  
  
Matt thought about what Izzy said. "You think you know me pretty well, huh?" Once he had said that he wished he hadn't. Izzy had just finished declaring his intentions to be a better friend, and Matt replied with an accusation. It only sounded that way though, and he said it as a way to try to open Izzy's mind to the idea...the idea that his friend was...Matt wasn't totally sure of it himself, but he couldn't keep it to himself much longer.  
  
"Well, I guess so. I'm sure there's a lot that I don't know." Izzy replied. You have no idea, Matt thought to himself. They had reached the school and were heading to the soccer field. Someone was running towards them. As he got closer, Matt could see who it was.  
  
"Hey Tai! Got a game today?" Matt shouted. Tai was wearing his soccer uniform.  
  
"Yeah, we play after the girl's game." Tai gave Matt a high-five. "Hey Izzy, what's up."  
  
"We just came to watch the game." Izzy and Tai also exchanged a hand slap.  
  
"Cool man. I was hoping you guys would come."   
  
"Well I promised Sora I would watch her at least once this year." Matt said.  
  
"Oooooooooooooh! I know you're trying to score points with her! Yeah, I'll tell her you missed your brother's birthday party for it!" Tai laughed. He'd heard Matt's silly conversations with Sora and noticed the way that he stared at her when she wasn't looking. He kidded Matt about it too. Matt put up with it, mainly because there wasn't any truth to it at all. It was better that Tai thought that about him anyway. What the heck did that even mean, it wasn't T.K.'s birthday.  
  
"Whatever dude. Watch it or your team's gonna be one player short today." Matt replied with his evil stare, the one he gave Tai when he and Wargarurumon attacked Tai and Agumon when they were fighting the dark masters. They had made amends many times and put it behind them though, enough so that they could joke about it, as they were now.  
  
"Is that a threat?" Tai replied, clinching his fists.  
  
"It is if you want it to be." Matt replied. They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then burst out laughing, so much so that they were on the ground a minute later, catching their breath.  
  
"I'm sorry but I don't get it." Izzy said with that perplexed look on his face. Matt and Tai got up and the three walked to the bleachers to watch Sora's game. They talked about more stuff, and Matt found out that Tai and Izzy had been spending a lot of time together since their return from the Digiworld. As a matter of fact, everyone had been hanging out together, just like Matt hoped they would. Why hadn't he been invited? The more he thought about it, he remembered that he had been invited. His mom would come to his room and tell him Izzy or Tai was on the phone, but Matt would just give her excuses to tell them. Had he even bothered to call anyone before today? "Haven't I learned anything?" He thought to himself. He was letting himself become a prisoner of his own depression again, just as he did in the Digiworld. Suddenly someone grabbed him from behind, and he quickly stood up and turned around.  
  
"Hey Matt, didn't mean to startle you!" It was Sora. Being in her soccer uniform she looked different. Being able to see her hair was probably what made the most difference.   
  
"Hey Sora!" Matt jumped down from the bleachers to see her. They hadn't seen each other in a month and he really wanted to give her a hug but he wasn't sure if she would be ready for it. Besides, Tai and Izzy would see him if he screwed up. "I told you I'd come to your game!"  
  
"I knew you would sooner or later." She replied. She was so pretty. Matt quickly looked her over and then looked back into her eyes, hoping she hadn't noticed him. "How've you been? I haven't seen you in a long time."  
  
"I've been ok." He was lying of course, but what else would he say? "How's school going so far?"  
  
"Oh, it's ok. I've just been so busy, especially with soccer and stuff." A girl ran by and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her towards the field. "Oh, I gotta go! I'll see you guys after the game! Hey Izzy!" She waved at Izzy and ran out on to the field.   
  
"Ok, good luck!" Matt called back to her. Was that the right thing to say? It doesn't matter, he thought, you don't like her anyway. He watched her run onto the field as the teams got set for the game. At least she was a friend though, and a good friend. That's really all that matters, he thought as he sat back in the bleachers next to Izzy. Tai said something sarcastic, but Matt didn't hear it. He was thinking of how he was going to do this. He needed to psyche himself up or the moment would come and go, and he'd feel awful about it all night. He had the conversation in his head a dozen times or so by the end of the first half. Suddenly Tai was getting up.  
  
"See you guys, we gotta go start warming up. You're gonna stick around for us, right?" Tai asked.  
  
"Sorry Tai, but we were gonna go see a movie after the game." Izzy replied. They hadn't talked about that, but it sounded like fun.  
  
"Ok, what movie?" Tai asked again.  
  
Izzy thought for a second. "Uh...Pokemon 2000. That's the one."  
  
"Let me tell you guys something. Pokemon sucks!" Tai always got mad about Pokemon. He hated them so much, probably because Kari watched the show all the time. He settled back down. "Whatever, I know you're just kidding. Well, later guys!" He jogged out to the smaller field near the school.   
  
Matt turned to Izzy. "You're not serious are you?"  
  
"Of course I'm not. I just don't want to watch his game, that's all." They laughed together. The second half of the match went by quickly, and by the end Sora's school had won 2-0. Matt was lost in his own thoughts again though, only to be snapped out of his trance by Izzy.   
  
"Hey, let's go talk to Sora." he exclaimed.  
  
They caught her halfway to the bleachers. "Hey, you wanna come with us? We're going to get something to eat." Izzy asked her.  
  
"I'd love to, but coach says we have to stay and watch the guys' game." Sora said looking down. She was obviously tired but wanted to leave with Matt and Izzy. "Where are you two going?"  
  
"We don't know yet. Too bad you can't come with us though." Matt said.  
  
Sora looked back up at Matt. "Yeah. You wanna do something tomorrow?"  
  
Matt was totally surprised by this. He hadn't done much of anything with anyone since school started. He started to think of an excuse, he wasn't ready for this.  
  
"Yeah, we can do that" Izzy interjected. "We don't have any plans."  
  
"Oh that's great! I can't wait! Oh, I guess we all have to go sit together for the game. Have to cheer the boys on I guess. Call me ok?"  
  
"Yeah, I will." Matt said.  
  
"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow then. I gotta go. Bye!"  
  
"Bye Sora!" Izzy shouted.  
  
"Bye..." Matt replied, probably not loud enough for her to hear him, he thought.  



	4. Part 4

Well this is the last chapter and I hope you like it. I might write more Digimon fics later, but who knows. Don't worry, though, they won't all be "coming out" stories. I guess I have to say again that there might be some Yaoi here, but unless you're the most homophobic person on earth you probably won't be offended. Finally, I don't own Digimon. Well, here's chapter 4...  
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Matt and Izzy walked off the school grounds and back in the direction of their homes. It was getting close to dinner time and Matt was hungry. As if on cue, Izzy asked:  
  
"So where do you want to eat?"  
  
"I don't have any money."   
  
"That's ok, neither do I. We can eat something at my house."  
  
"Ok cool. Hey wait a minute, you asked me where I wanted to eat."  
  
"Well, in recollection, I suppose I did pose that question to you." Izzy gave Matt a puzzled look.  
  
"So you want my opinion for what I want to eat, but you won't let me answer for myself about what I want to do tomorrow."  
  
Izzy got the picture. "I know what you want to do, but it's not always what you say. You want to see Sora tomorrow, but you never would have accepted her date. I hate to say it Matt, but you can be too antisocial sometimes. You'd have more fun and be a happier person if you just spent more time with your friends and less time in your room."  
  
Matt was defensive, but not angry. "Whoa, hold on a minute. First of all, it's not a date because you'll be there. Second of all, even if you weren't there it still wouldn't be a date, because we're just friends, and that's all we'll ever be. I know I need to get out of my apartment, but you spend more time in your room than I do, and that's counting when I sleep too."  
  
"Yeah," Izzy replied "but I do that by choice and I make sure I go out with my friends after sitting in my room too long. You don't like being alone but you don't do anything to change that. I'm worried that you just sit around feeling sorry for yourself."  
  
Matt didn't know what to say because Izzy was right. For so long he never though the little guy had anything to say, not until they got to know each other better, but he never thought Izzy could read his mind like that. Well, Matt thought, if he really could read my mind, would he have even let me in his apartment today?  
  
Izzy went on. "I know you like Sora and if you don't make time to spend with her then you'll never get to know her better. If you want to be with her alone then I won't come. Just make up an excuse for me."  
  
"Why wouldn't I want you to come?" Matt asked.  
  
"Well, uh...so you could talk to her alone? Don't you like her?"  
  
"Uh..." Matt thought about the question.  
  
"Well do you or not?" Izzy asked again, almost confrontationally.  
  
"Oh Izz I don't know..." Matt stopped walking and leaned against a tree. He just stared at the ground.  
  
"Hey, are you ok? What's wrong?" Izzy turned to Matt, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I don't know." Matt said, quickly brushing Izzy's hand down and turning away. "I...I don't know how to talk about it Izz."  
  
"Well, just tell me what's wrong. I'm sorry if you didn't want to see Sora, I didn't know..."  
  
"No, no, it's not that. I want to see her, it's just..." Matt searched for the right words to say. Was this the moment? Was today the day? He hadn't planned it like this, but he knew it really wasn't something he could plan for. He took a deep breath. "Look Izzy, you're my friend right?" he asked, turned away. He didn't want to manipulate Izzy into saying or thinking anything by looking him in the eyes.   
  
"Yeah Matt." Izzy replied. "You know I am. You can tell me anything, you know."  
  
"Ok, well, I like Sora, I really do, but just as a friend, that's all." He knew this was all going to end badly.   
  
"Ok, I think I understand." Izzy said calmly. "Is that it?.....There is more isn't there?"  
  
Matt cleared his throat. The sun was going to set soon. There wasn't really anyone else around, not on their block. He was still looking down, but he had turned toward Izzy. "Ok, I don't know how else to say it, so I'm just going to come out and say it. I'm struggling with my sexuality." He had said it, finally. He felt like he needed to say it again, to hammer it home, to make sure Izzy understood. "I'm attracted to other guys."  
  
Izzy looked down. He didn't say anything, but he just looked down at the cracks in the sidewalk.  
  
After another minute, Matt spoke again. "So you know, I just had to say it, because I want to be your friend but I can't unless you know who I really am. Now that you know you can just walk away if you want, I really wouldn't blame you or hold it against you, you know." Matt slumped to the ground and sat down.  
  
"Why would I want to do that?" Izzy asked. He sat down with Matt on the sidewalk against a concrete wall. They sat silently for another minute. Izzy spoke up. "How long have you known.?"  
  
Matt didn't know what that meant. His whole life, he guessed. "I don't know. A while, maybe."  
  
Izzy looked over at Matt. Matt looked up for a second and they made eye contact. He quickly looked back down and wondered if he could ever look Izzy in the eyes again.   
  
"Are you ok?" Izzy asked. He put his hand on Matt's knee. Matt looked up at Izzy and smiled.  
  
"So, what do you think?" Matt asked.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About your cool guy friend."   
  
"I still think you're cool. Why wouldn't I?" Izzy asked.  
  
"Because I'm a faggot." Matt replied. He hated that word but he still considered himself to be one.  
  
"Don't say that. I'm still your friend and just because you like guys doesn't mean that anything is different."  
  
Matt looked down and wiped a small tear from his cheek. It was just a small one, but it had been building for a long time and it felt bigger than any other he had ever shed. "But I thought you didn't like gays Izzy. You said..."  
  
"Hey, I'm sorry about that. I...I didn't know then. I was real immature then and I didn't even mean it. Those were just jokes I heard, you know." Izzy sniffed. "I'm sorry Matt. Will you forgive me?"  
  
"Yeah...yeah I will." Matt replied. "Don't even worry about it."  
  
"I won't."  
  
They sat on the ground for a few more minutes as the sun began to set. Neither of them really knew what to say. Then Izzy spoke up.  
  
"I love you Matt. You're my best friend, you know."  
  
Matt didn't know what to say to that. He was so certain that he would be sitting on the ground alone, that Izzy would be 3 blocks away by now. "I love you too Izzy."  
  
They watched the sun set, and as the high-rises cast shadows on them, Izzy stood up. "C'mon, you wanna get something to eat?" He held his hand out to Matt.   
  
Matt looked up at his friend and took his hand. Izzy helped pull him up and they started walking back to Izzy's. It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Matt took a deep breath to see if it felt any differently. It didn't, but he still felt so much better.   
  
"So you wanna go to the beach tomorrow?" Matt asked. "You think Sora would want to go?"  
  
"Yeah, that would be fun. She'd love to go too." Izzy replied. "You know, I think she cares about you a lot. She's asked about you everytime I've see her since we got back."  
  
"Really?" asked Matt.  
  
"Yeah." They walked for a while more. Izzy's building was a block away. "You know, if you ever need someone to talk to, you know you can talk to me...I think Sora feels the same way, and if you ever wanted to tell her, I know she would listen."  
  
"You think?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
They entered Izzy's building and took the elevator up to the twelfth floor. Back in Izzy's apartment, no one was home. "My parents went downtown in the afternoon, they must have gone to out to dinner." They listened to the tunes Izzy downloaded earlier in the day, ate sandwhiches and emailed Joe's computer a virus.   
  
"Gee, I wonder who he'll think it's from?" Matt asked sarcastically. Of course he would know.  
  
"Oh, it won't do much more than erase his hard drive. Don't worry." Izzy replied casually.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Relax, not before it replicates it and stores it on my server." Izzy slapped the big computer on the floor next to his bed. "I'll email it back to him in a day or two. He'll never know what happened to it!"  
  
"Izzy, you have a sick mind." Matt looked at the clock. "Hey, it's getting late. I should be getting home, my family is probably home by now."  
  
They carried their dishes out of Izzy's room to the kitchen. Matt sort of stood silently, thinking that maybe there was something he was supposed to say, but he couldn't think of anything. Instead, Izzy spoke up.  
  
"You know Matt, I'm glad you told me that."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Yeah...Hey Matt, can I ask you something?" Izzy said, almost sheepishly.  
  
"Yeah, anything Izz." Matt wondered what it could be.  
  
"Um...would it be ok with you if I gave you a hug?"  
  
Matt never expected that an hour after telling his friend that he was gay that Izzy would be asking him for a hug. He couldn't believe it. He thought Izzy would never ever want Matt to touch him again, let alone give him a hug.  
  
"No. I'd really like it actually."  
  
Izzy walked forward and put his arms around Matt. Matt put his arms around Izzy and embraced him. For a few seconds they just stood there, but it was the most meaningful expression of love between friends either of them had ever had ever experienced. When they were done, Matt walked to the door.  
  
"Come over around 1:00. We'll be ready, Ok?"  
  
"Both of you?" Izzy asked.  
  
"You know we will." Matt replied. The door to Izzy's apartment shut behind him. Matt rode the elevator to the first floor and left the building. He looked up at Izzy's apartment and saw the light on. He wished they had a balcony like the Izumis did. He walked the five blocks to his building thinking about the events of his day, thinking about how he would do things differently from now on. Whatever tough face he had tried to put on himself in the past needed to go, he saw that he needed people and that maybe, just maybe, they needed him. He also thought hugging Izzy was like hugging T.K., except with a lot more hair in your face. He smiled and let himself in.  
  
At his apartment, he unlocked the door and saw his family in the living room together. They were happy to see him and asked how his day was. Matt told them that he went with Izzy to watch Sora's soccer game and that they hung out at his place afterwards. T.K. told him excitedly about thier trip to the zoo and about each and every animal he saw.   
  
"I never saw any like Patamon though." he said sadly. "Except in the bay house, cuz there were bats everywhere and they were flying all over the place and..." He was so happy. "Why didn't you come with Matt?"  
  
"Aw T.K., I'm sorry. I'll go with next time, I promise."  
  
His family was watching a TV show Matt didn't really like, so he quietly walked to his room and closed the door behind him. He laid on his bed and stared at the ceiling, only this time he couldn't help thinking about how good things were. He thought about calling Sora in the morning, and how he couldn't fall asleep fast enough to do it. He thought about hugging Izzy, and how good that made him feel on the inside. He thought about all his friends and his family and realized that he really was loved. A lot. He felt a great peace inside him and knew that everything was going to be ok. Today was the day. 


End file.
